by Dinah McCall
He entered the throne room to find all the servants face down on the floor, praying to the Gods to spare them. This was the City of the Sun and the Sun was disappearing before their eyes. Would they be next?
“Go away!” he yelled.
They scrambled to their feet and ran; terrified they would become a sacrifice to the dying Sun.
A lone man in dusty clothing was standing in the middle of the room with his hands clasped in front of him and his head down, showing his respect.
Bazat climbed up the steps to the throne and then sat. Because he was a small man, he chose to address those beneath him from a higher level.
“Look at me!” Bazat yelled, and the man looked up.
Chak was taken aback. The stocky little man with a beak of a nose and bowed legs was nothing like Cayetano in looks or demeanor.
Bazat pointed his finger. “You have brought danger to my city. Tell the moon to give back the sun or I will spill your blood to appease their anger.”
Chak stifled a moan. “I did not bring this danger. I came to warn you of it,” he said quickly.
“Then you came too late because it is already here,” Bazat said.
“Yes, but I know why it happened,” Chak said.
Bazat’s frown deepened. “Tell me now.”
“Did the twins of Sun and Mother Earth not flee from your city? Did a shaman not die here on the steps of the temple the same day?”
Bazat stared, his face expressionless. “I sacrificed to the twins. It is over.”
“No. They are hiding in Naaki Chava in the palace of Cayetano. They laugh that they have deceived you. Cayetano’s woman, Singing Bird is plotting to take away your place in this city so that the New Ones she brought into Naaki Chava will have even more places to live.”
Bazat leaped to his feet. “How do you know this?”
“I was a shaman in Naaki Chava. Cayetano banned me from the city because I saw into his heart. I saw his desire to take everything around him as his own, including the City of the Sun.”
“This is so?”
Chak happily lied, thinking of the doom it would create.
“This is so.”
Bazat stormed down from the throne, waving his arms and spitting his words in short, venomous bursts.
“I will kill them. I will kill them all.”
Chak pointed to the window. “It is getting darker. But I believe it will get light again soon. I believe that this was only a warning to you. You must rid this jungle of the evil in Naaki Chava, or next time the moon will swallow the sun and take it to the far side of the earth, never to return.”
Bazat began to pace. “What should I do?”
“Go out to the people! Tell them you will protect them, and that it will get light again. Don’t let them know about the twins. That must be done in secrecy. You should not go to war with Naaki Chava, for there are three times more people there than you have here. You would be defeated.”
Bazat stormed out of the room. Chak followed along behind, hoping this was enough to insinuate himself into the crazy chief’s life.
****
Adam was sitting outside with Evan, entertaining his brother by throwing fruit to the birds and watching them fight for the treats, while Yuma stood watch.
He was the youngest, but he knew they would never be fighters, and so he’d taken it upon himself to be the soldier of the three.
“Come sit,” Adam said. “I’ll teach you some more new words.”
“I am on duty,” Yuma said.
Adam and Evan laughed. “The only duty here is bird duty.”
Yuma frowned, but he didn’t answer. He was seeing something they did not. The birds were starting to take to the trees as they did at night when they went to roost. Even more puzzling, the monkeys were suddenly silent.
“Something is wrong. Look what is happening,” Yuma said, pointing to the birds that were already roosting.
Adam looked up, then past Yuma’s shoulder to the sky. He stood up.
“Look. It’s an eclipse!” he cried.
Yuma saw it and realized the birds and animals had known it first.
“Help me up!” Evan said. “We have to tell Cayetano!”
“Why?” Yuma asked. “It’s just an eclipse.”
“Because these people are primitive in understanding the universe. They will think it’s a bad sign. You have to hurry,” he said.
“I’ll go,” Yuma said, and rushed into the palace, leaving them to follow at a slower pace.
He was running down the hall when he saw one of the servants.
“Cayetano! Cayetano! Where is he?” Yuma cried.
The man pointed to the hallway leading to where the chief held court.
Yuma headed down the hall. Even as he was running, it sounded like the city was in riot. He ran into the throne room, shouting as he went.
“Cayetano! Cayetano! Come quick!”
****
Cayetano was with his second chiefs, discussing the upcoming harvest celebration. While there would be feasting and drumming, it was also a time for extra safeguards for the city. When everyone was in the streets celebrating the good year, their enemies would see them at their weakest.
He was, as yet, unaware that Naaki Chava was already in an uproar. The eclipse was now visible and the people down in the city were in a panic. They were prostrate on the ground, praying for mercy, certain that they would die, when Yuma burst into the meeting room, shouting.
Cayetano jumped up. “Has something happened to Singing Bird?”
“No, no. Come see the sky. Your people will be afraid. You have to tell them it is okay.”
“What is it?” he asked, as Yuma led him to the window.
The second chiefs followed. Already, a shadow was moving over the face of the sun.
“Aiyee!” they cried. “A bad omen! What does it mean? We must call the Shamans!”
Cayetano was shocked and also afraid, but he couldn’t let it show.
“Where is Singing Bird?” he asked.
One of the servants stepped forward. “Great Chief, Singing Bird went into the city.”
Fear for her safety overshadowed the omen in the sky, but he made himself focus on the boy who kept tugging at his hand.
“It’s not bad,” Yuma said. “It has happened many times since, and doesn’t mean anything to us.”
Cayetano picked him up so that they were eye to eye.
“This is true? You would not lie to me?”
“No, I do not lie, Cayetano. It is the truth and all the New Ones will know it, too. If Layla is in the city, she will help calm them, because she has seen this before, and knows it means nothing to us.”
“You find the twins and stay here in the palace with Acat,” Cayetano said, and then gave the little boy a quick hug before sending him on his way.
The second chiefs were huddled together, waiting. When Cayetano turned around, he was smiling.
“It means nothing,” he said. “It is something the New Ones have seen many times before. It means nothing to us, but we still go into the city to make sure calm is restored.”
****
Layla had gone to the Nantay home with two of her servants, bringing dishes in which to put their food, stools to sit on, and pillows and thicker sleeping mats for Shirley’s comfort.
Shirley was happy to see her, and in a much better frame of mind than before. Little Mouse had come with medicine for pain, and promised to teach them where to find different healing plants on their own. They had been talking for only a short while when she began to hear unusual noises.
“Something is going on outside. It’s never that noisy here,” Shirley said.
The servants who’d come with Layla were outside waiting, when they suddenly burst into the room.
“Singing Bird! Come quick! Something is eating the sun!”
“Oh wow, an eclipse,” Shirley said.
Layla ran to the door. “Oh no, it is!”
Shirley frowned. “So wha
t’s the big deal?”
“If I remember my history, things like this were considered bad omens. It’s probably time for some damage control.” She glanced out the window and added. “And here comes your husband, so you won’t be alone.”
“Thank goodness,” Shirley said. “Take care.”
“Yes, I’ll see you again soon,” Layla said, waving at Nantay as she hurried off.
They headed for the temple, knowing that was where the people would gather. But she became trapped within the crowd and separated from her servants.
At first no one noticed her, but after they did, began shouting her name and pulling at her, begging for her to save them. No matter how loud she shouted, they couldn’t hear, and the day grew darker as the sun continued to disappear.
She didn’t dare stop, or try to slow down because the people were manic. Someone’s fingers became entangled in her hair as they ran past; another pushed her aside in an effort to get ahead. Twice she stumbled and almost fell. It was the first time since her arrival that she felt physical fear. The ground trembled beneath the thunder of so many feet, and she knew if she went down, she would be trampled.
Suddenly, the forward motion ceased. The crowd had reached impasse; forced to stop where they were, pinning Layla against the side of a wall.
Be calm. Father comes.
Relief came swiftly. The baby had felt her panic and responded. She began to look for Cayetano, knowing he would stand a head above most.
****
Cayetano was anxious and uncertain as to what he would say to stop the fear. Everyone was going crazy. There was no way his voice would be heard. And while Singing Bird was nowhere in sight, he had a gut feeling she was in danger.
As his warriors ran with him, their war cries’ grew louder, startling the crowd enough to part and let them through. He scanned the faces as they ran, looking, always looking for Singing Bird. They were almost at the temple when he heard a voice telling him to stop and look, so he did. Moments later, he saw Singing Bird, her fist in the air, pinned against a wall without a way out.
His shout was nothing short of a roar. It shocked those closest into sudden silence.
“Singing Bird is there! Let her pass!”
Then he pushed his way through.
****
When Layla saw Cayetano and his warriors coming through the crowd, she screamed his name so loud it hurt her own ears, and still he kept moving.
I will tell him.
When Cayetano suddenly stopped and began to scan the crowd, she realized the baby had done just that. She thrust her arm in the air, her hand curled into a fist, and that was when he saw her. She knew he was shouting, but she didn’t hear anything but the thunder of her own heartbeat and her baby’s laughter.
And then she was in his arms.
Cayetano’s heart was hammering against his ribcage as he pulled her from the crowd, carried her back to the warriors, then all the way to the steps of the temple.
“Are you hurt?” he asked quickly.
“No. I just got trapped. I am good. Help me up the steps. I can calm them.”
He swung her up and then followed her.
As soon as Layla reached the top, she thrust her arms in the air.
“Hear me,” she shouted.
The throng stilled.
She pointed to the sky. “This is not a warning. It is not a bad omen. It means nothing to us. It is something that happens only in the sky. The sun and moon are playing. One is passing the other just as I would pass you on the street. When the moon has finished saying hello to the sun, the light will return and nothing will change. You will see. I promise.”
The crowd hushed. All eyes were on the sky, watching. More than half the sun was gone and the light was fading around them. They watched the birds fly to roost. Even the monkeys who scampered across rooftops were absent, their chatter as silent as the gathered crowd who kept looking to the sky, afraid they would be struck down.
Then one by one, the New Ones began to push their way through to the front. Their numbers were so great that, as they moved forward, they slowly pushed the residents of Naaki Chava to the back of the crowd. It wasn’t until movement ceased that it became obvious that they and they alone, had the temple completely surrounded.
Layla’s heart swelled with gratitude. The New Ones had seen the danger and come to her rescue, just as she’d come to theirs in a land that was dying.
“What is happening?” Cayetano asked. “Why have they done this?”
Layla whispered. “I think they feared the crowd might riot. They are protecting me. They are protecting you.”
Cayetano was stunned. He had not thought of the New Ones as anything but an added burden and a means to an end. It was the first time he thought of them as people willing to die for the woman at his side.
He stayed close to her as he scanned the crowd, searching for the absent Shamans. When he finally saw them struggling to push through the crowd, he shouted down. “Let them pass.”
The crowd parted, and the old men came up the steps one by one. By the time they reached the top, they were hesitant to look into Singing Bird’s face for fear she would have them banished as she had Chak.
Cayetano knew what they were thinking and gave them a warning look.
Ah Kin dipped his head and whispered softly. “My Chief, do you want us to pray?”
He tightened his grip on his woman. “There is no need,” he said. “Singing Bird says it means nothing.”
“But Cayetano, if we anger the Gods, they may not give back the light.”
His frown darkened. “I said, there is no need. You heard my woman’s words. The sun and moon are merely passing each other and the light will return.”
Layla knew what courage that took to deny everything he knew about Gods and omens, and take her at her word. She stood beside him, her head up, her gaze fixed on their faces. They looked away, and so the watch continued.
When the sun was completely gone, a gasp rose from the crowd. Layla felt their fear, but the New Ones held their ground, and she knew that they were safe.
When the first sliver of sun began to appear on the other side of the darkness, there was another sigh, but this time, it was one of relief.
Cayetano’s whole body relaxed and she felt it.
“See, my heart, my words were true,” she whispered.
“I knew that,” he said.
She stepped away and shouted out as she pointed to the sky.
“See, the moon is telling the sun goodbye and is going away. It will be light again soon, and the birds will fly and all will be as it was.”
As they waited, the sky went from dark to dim, then from dim to dusk, and then finally the bright light of day had returned. The sun was whole. The moon was no more, and as Singing Bird promised, the sky was filled with birds, and the jungle woke as if it was a new day.
The crowd that had been in such a panic moved away, going back to their daily tasks with nervous laughter. Layla took off down the steps to the New Ones who had turned to face her. They were waving and shouting her name.
Layla was in tears as she stopped at the first tier of the temple. She began walking around it, calling out her thanks and waving, laughing as she recognized faces in the crowd. It was a homecoming long overdue.
She walked until she had circled the temple to find Cayetano waiting. She ran the last few steps, laughing.
He caught her as she ran, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms, unashamed of feelings for the woman who held his heart.
Late that night, long after the boys had gone to bed and the palace was finally quiet, Layla lay in Cayetano’s arms, but she couldn’t sleep.
The night was dark. The moon was gone from the sky. It was a dark so profound that she would have been afraid were it not for his presence. The air was cool, but his body heat kept her warm. She snuggled backward a little closer, taking comfort in the way his arms instinctively tightened, as if, even in sleep, he would not let her g
o. Finally, she laid one hand on his arm, the other on her belly, and closed her eyes. Her family was complete.
Chapter Twenty-One
The day of harvest celebration dawned with the sounds of jubilation. Many tapirs had been killed for the feast. The night before, the carcasses were wrapped in banana leaves and placed in fire pits, then piled high with fiery coals so they could cook all night. Squash and beans were in pots over cooking fires, while yams baked in hot coals. Women were pounding grain to make flat cakes they baked on hot stones and the scents of roasting pig and baking bread filled the air.
Layla had been sick again all morning and stayed in the room, but as the sun moved across the sky, her energy returned. The servants knew the Chief’s wife was with child, which meant even more good fortune for Naaki Chava.
Cayetano sat with her, watching the rise and fall of her breasts as she combed the tangles from her just-washed hair, and seeing the laughter in her eyes as the boys sat around her feet. They were like little parrots from the jungle, always moving, always squawking; entertaining her with their chatter. She was a natural mother, and yet she would give birth to only one. It hurt his heart to know this was so, but reminded himself the journey they were on was no longer about them. They had both come back in time to right a wrong.
Layla caught him watching and flashed back to the day she’d first seen his face. Time had taken care of her confusion between loving Niyol and remembering Cayetano. The man before her was beautiful in her eyes. He was flesh and blood real, not a spirit, and she was a woman with a baby in her belly. It was enough.
Suddenly, she wanted him, and knew the lust was on her face as she watched his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare.
She stood. “Boys. Go play for a while. Feed the birds. Find something to play outside. The day is too beautiful to be indoors and I want some quiet.”
The boys left willingly, but the moment they were outside in the hall they began to giggle between themselves.
“They will make love,” Yuma said, rolling his eyes.
